Chain of Memories
by evilestguyever
Summary: Sorry about the title. I know it's bad. Well, Cloud dies, and his life flashes before his eyes. Cloud X Aerith.


**A/N: This is my first long fic, so sorry if it's mind numbingly bad. Please try to finish it anyway. Then review. Please. Thanks to all who do. And I don't mind the heat, so if they're all flames, I don't mind. I just need to get better at writing.**

**evilestguyever: Don't own anything. D: Sorry Cloud.**

**Cloud:… why?**

**evilestguyever: Well, let's just say something happens…something bad.**

**Cloud: ?**

**evilestguyever: You'll find out. Eventually. *backs away slowly* Hey, isn't that Aerith? **

**Cloud: *Cloud turns around* Where? *I run away***

**Chain of Memories**

They say that your life flashes before your eyes when you die, but for Cloud, all he saw was _her_. His reason for living, his light, his air, his entire world.

"_Cloud, we have to go survey the site."_

"_I know, Vincent. We have to see if the church is worth restoring, or should be demolished. Let's just go," Cloud sighed, too tired to be annoyed. Finding land to build on could be such a pain, especially when it's for rich clientele. They want huge piece of land and huge houses for their families of four. Jeez. Cloud climbed into Vincent's car, and they were off._

"_I'll take the roof." Vincent just nodded in response. It's a wonder that this old church is still intact at all. These stairs are so rickety and rotten, and the roof can't be any better. Hm...Creak. Got to step carefully...Creak. Crack! Crack! Huh? Crac – Oh sh – "Ahh!" Cloud screamed as the roof gave way._

"_Hey, how do you feel? Any broken bones?" That voice...it's so sweet and soft and gentle...am I..._

"_Are you an Angel?" Someone giggles._

"_Do you want me to be?"_

"_Aerith, this is a serious matter. Cloud, how are you feeling? I'm going to take you to the hospital." That voice...it is familiar..._

"_Vincent?" Cloud groaned._

"_Hey, he's opening his eyes!" Cloud sat up, finding two pairs of inquisitive, worried eyes on him, one pair a familiar crimson, but the other... beautiful emerald green eyes stared into Cloud's icy blue ones. He was mesmerized. She _is _an angel. She has to be. She's so beautiful... Then she giggled, and it was the same sweet sound he had heard before._

"_It's not polite to stare, you know." She said, giggling again. "I'm Aerith." Hearing her melodic voice, Cloud snapped out of his thoughts, blushing._

"_Oh, um, I'm Cloud." The woman – Aerith – giggled again._

"_So, Cloud, do you always go around scaring young girls like me by falling down on top of them?" Aerith teased._

"_What? I fell on you? Oh Gaia, I'm sorry. Are you hurt? I'm so sorry." Aerith started laughing, and even Vincent cracked a smile._

"_No, no. I'm fine. You should be worrying about yourself. Here, Vincent, come on, let's help him to your car, we can take him to the hospital."_

"_We?" Vincent queried, one eyebrow raised._

"_Of course! You didn't think that I was going to stay here by myself, did you? And I'm worried about Cloud too!" Argh... My body aches all over! What happened? Oh, that's right. The roof...it gave way. And I'm still alive! Lucky! Groaning, Cloud climbed to his feet._

"_Argh... I ache all over, but I'm fine, thanks for asking Vincent." Cloud glances at Aerith. She noticed and gave him a warm smile. He blushed. She's so gorgeous..._

"_Cloud, are you sure? It's not too much trouble to go to the hospital. Your health comes first, and by now I'm convinced that this building should be condemned. It could collapse at any moment."_

"_Nah, I'm fi – CRACK! CRICK! - Look out!" Cloud yelled, grabbing Aerith by the waist, twisting around and bending over to shield her from the falling debris, as pieces of the roof rained down on them. "Are you okay?" Cloud asked, his voice laced with worry, as he let her go after the shower of wood and rock came to a stop._

"_I'm fine, but what about you? You should be more worried about yourself!" Aerith cried, moving to inspect every single wound she could find. "Stay still! Don't move!"_

"_But –_

"_Cloud, listen to Aerith."_

"_Vincent! Not you too! I'm fine!" Cloud said as he blushed. Aerith's hands were searching all over his body._

"_You are going to the hospital. Now," Aerith said, turning to Vincent, who just turned and headed for his car._

"_But – Aerith put a finger to his lips._

"_No buts. You just fell two stories, and you've got cuts and gashes everywhere. You're bleeding, a lot," Aerith finished, "So you're going if I have to drag you there myself."_

"_Fine," Cloud sighed, resigned._

"_Good. Then, come on, let's go," Aerith said, pulling him towards the car by his hand. Cloud blushed, trying to wiggle free of her grip, but she wouldn't let go. "Get in," she said, opening the passenger door to the back. After he got in, she followed, worry all over her face. Vincent started the car, heading for the nearest hospital. "Don't move, ok? I'm going to clean out some of the deeper ones," Aerith said, pulling out a handkerchief and a bottle of water. Uncapping it, she covered the mouth of the bottle with her handkerchief before turning the bottle sideways, wetting the handkerchief. Reaching up, she dabbed at the cuts on his face and forehead, only stopping to wet the handkerchief._

"_We're here," Vincent said, parking the car next to the hospital._

"_Your friends a very lucky man," the doctor said, coming out of the examination room. "There doesn't seem to be any broken bones of anything of that sort. The cuts are for the most part, shallow, though there are several deeper ones on his back. He's also bruised all over, and he's going to hurt like hell later, so I'm going to prescribe some painkillers for him, ok? They're called vicodin, and they're pretty strong. Just make sure he doesn't overdose, or he's going to start seeing things. I gave him something stronger just before, and it should last until around seven."_

"_Thank you," Vincent said, taking the prescription note from the doctor._

"_No problem. Come back if anything's wrong with him at all, ok? My name's Reeve Tuesti. Just call me Reeve."_

"_Vincent Valentine." Cloud walked out of the examination room, buttoning up his shirt._

"_See? Told you I was fine."_

"_I'm glad," Aerith said, smiling. Cloud blushed._

"_So, um, we're going, right? Thanks Dr. Tuesti."_

"_It's alright. If anything's wrong at all, don't try to toughen it out and hope for the best. Come back or else your friends will be worried, alright?"_

"_Yeah. Thanks again."_

"_Goodbye. I would say 'See you soon', but seeing as I'm a doctor, that would sound a bit weird," Reeve said, laughing._

"_Yeah, it would. Bye." With that, Cloud walked out the door_

**Cloud: Something bad? Is falling through the roof what you were talking about?**

**evilestguyever: Crap! You found me? **

**Cloud: *sarcastically* No, I'm just a figment of your imagination. Well? Is that what you were talking about?**

**evilestguyever: Obviously not. You enjoyed that. Maybe not the falling part, but the part where you meet Aerith. Then the part where she fusses over you. You know you liked it.**

**Cloud: *blushes* Whatever. *Attmepts a shrug to show that he doesn't care***

**evilestguyever: Well, in the next chapter, she strips you bare.**

**Cloud: Really? Um, I mean, it's not like I'm excited or anything.**

**evilestguyever: Well, that's good, cuz it'll never happen. Hey, look, Aerith! **

**Cloud: *turns around* Where?**

**evilestguyever: *runs away* This'll never get old**

**Cloud: What? NOOOOOOO! Come back here so I can kill you!**


End file.
